Retention Specialist - Student Success Academy

FORT VALLEY STATE UNIVERSITY (FVSU), a state and land-grant institution of the University System of Georgia, invites applications for the position of Retention Specialist- Student Success Academy.

Fort Valley State University, the only 1890 land-grant university in Georgia, is a comprehensive institution that provides an education to over 2,800 students including graduate students. The university is located in the town of Fort Valley in Peach County, the original site of the state's peach industry. Its 1,365-acre (5.52 km2) campus is Georgia's second-largest public university in area.

Fort Valley State University is an affirmative action, equal opportunity institution and does not discriminate against applicants, students, or employees on the basis of race, gender, ethnicity, national origin, sexual orientation, religion, age, disability, or marital or veteran status.

JOB SUMMARY:

Helps students develop skills, behaviors and habits that contribute to success in college. This role functions as an intrusive advisor which involves intentional contact with students with the goal of developing a caring and beneficial relationship that leads to increased academic motivation and persistence. These contacts include topics such as academic and career goal setting, learning strategies, time management and organization, self-regulation and self-efficacy.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES/RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Design and implement programs to help assist students with in navigating their college environment, maximizing their college resources and successfully reach college graduation.

• Help students create a structured and collaborative approach to support academic progress by identifying strengths and weaknesses, developing, and strengthening time-management and organizational skills.

• Refer students to other services on campus and off-campus such as academic advising, counseling, career services, tutoring and other resources to support the students' personal needs.
• Assists students with identifying and navigating obstacles that may interfere with their academic success.
• Monitors progress of students in caseload with early alerts, check-ins, scheduled meetings or proactive outreach and communication, responding to students' questions, concerns, and needs.
• Conduct academic coaching through individual or group sessions that help students assess their own performance and develop academic success plans
• Assist students in developing self-efficacy by identifying and overcoming obstacles that may be impeding academic success; works with students to learn strong time management and organization skills; motivates students to practice self-regulation and take ownership
• Help students in identifying, developing, and implementing learning strategies and study skills specific to course materials
• Collaborate with on-campus departments to assure students receive the support they need related to financial aid, orientation, academic advising, tutoring, career counseling, and other support programs.

• Develops, implements, coordinates, and tracks intervention strategies that enhance student success, as well as provides qualitative and quantitative reports.
• Identifies issues, builds success plans to overcome obstacles, leverages resources for meeting goals, and ensures student accountability.
• Teach Freshmen Seminar Class

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, AND ABILITIES:

• Strong interpersonal skills and evidence of consistently successful collaboration, initiative, and leadership.

• Ability to work well with diverse populations and have superior customer service skills.

• Knowledge of resources to best practices in persistence and retention of multicultural or first gen students.

• Ability to function in a high-volume environment that requires frequent multitasking and prioritization.

• Demonstrate the ability to work collaboratively in a team focused environment to meet the needs of our scholars

• Ability to motivate and coach students to take ownership of their own academic success.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS:

• Bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university in the discipline
• Three years' experience in student development programs, academic advising or related educational service programs

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS:

• Master's degree in Higher Education
• Three years' experience in student development programs, academic advising or related educational service programs

USG Core Values Statement

The University System of Georgia is comprised of our 26 institutions of higher education and learning, as well as the System Office. Our USG Statement of Core Values are Integrity, Excellence, Accountability, and Respect. These values serve as the foundation for all that we do as an organization, and each USG community member is responsible for demonstrating and upholding these standards. More details on the USG Statement of Core Values and Code of Conduct are available in USG Board Policy 8.2.18.1.2 and can be found on-line at https://www.usg.edu/policymanual/section8/C224/#p8.2.18_personnel_conduct

Additionally, USG supports Freedom of Expression as stated in Board Policy 6.5 Freedom of Expression and Academic Freedom found on-line at https://www.usg.edu/policymanual/section6/C2653.